“Mase, it’s so good to see you,” a female voice said from behind us, and I turned to see a face I recognized. I’d met Della Kerrington before, but this time, she was holding a small bundle in a blue blanket.
“And Reese,” she said. Her genuine smile made me feel immediately comfortable around her. “I’m so glad you’re here.”
Mase nodded his head at the baby in her arms. “Congratulations. I heard the little guy was born last month.”
Della gazed down at the bundle and smiled. “Yes. He came a month early, but he’s perfect, and I can’t remember ever being this happy. He completes us.”
“What’s his name?” Mase asked.
“Cruz,” she said, looking back up at us. “Cruz Woods Kerrington.”
“Cool name. I like it,” Mase replied.
“Me, too. And congratulations,” I added.
Della smiled warmly. “Thank you both. I intend to spend a little more time with you, Reese. But right now, I have a hungry little boy to feed,” she said before heading inside.
“I like her,” I said as I watched her go.
“Yeah, she’s the best thing that ever happened to Kerrington. Dude was a man-whore before her,” Mase said, and winked at me.
I laughed as he slid his hand around my waist and led me down the steps and toward the pool. I glanced over at the chair where I’d seen that familiar face earlier, but he was gone. Weird.
“Watch me jump, Daddy!” a small voice called out, and I turned to see an adorable little boy standing on the top of a rock waterfall. He looked too small to be up there, but he had a determined gleam in his eyes.
“I’m watching. Show me what you got,” a man called out from the water. I was too worried about the little boy to take my eyes off him and see who his daddy was. Did the boy’s mother know he was up there?
The boy flashed a big grin that told me he was a charmer, even if he was just a little kid. Then he jumped high and tucked his small body tightly and flipped twice in the air before diving into the water.
Everyone clapped and hollered, including me. I was amazed.
His little head surfaced, and he had pride shining on his face. It was precious. “Told ya I could do two,” he said, looking at Grant. Then he swam over and gave a muscular, tattooed man a high-five. Without Rush Finlay turning around, I knew exactly who it was. I’d seen him in magazines and on television before. He was Dean Finlay’s son. He turned around to smirk at Grant, who was chuckling.
“Don’t doubt my boy,” he said, which only made Grant shake his head as he laughed.
Rush Finlay had turned to swim toward the ladder when his eyes lifted and saw Mase. If I weren’t completely in love with Mase, I’d have to say this man was the most beautiful thing I’d ever seen. But I did love Mase, and no one compared. Rush would have to come in a close second.
“Mase,” Rush said with a smirk before pulling himself out of the water. I had to look away, because, seriously, he was pushing it. He even got out of the water in an attractive way.
“Talented kid you got there,” Mase replied.
“Hell, yeah, he is. Just like his daddy,” Rush said.
“And he likes to remind everyone of that,” Grant called out from the pool.
I forced myself to turn back around to face a wet Rush Finlay. I was thankful he had a towel wrapped around him now. Didn’t take away from the water droplets running down his chest, though.
Rush turned his attention to me. “Reese,” he said, surprising me by knowing my name. “Nice to meet you.”
I managed to get out a “Nice to meet you, too.”
Then he turned his attention back to Mase. “You seen Kiro?” Rush asked.
Mase shook his head. “Not yet.”
“He’s inside with Emily. He doesn’t want her out in the sun too much.”
Mase’s eyes went wide. “Emily is here?”
Rush ran a hand through his short, wet hair and nodded. “Yeah. He didn’t want her to miss her granddaughter’s birthday.”
Wow. From everything Mase had told me about Harlow’s mom, I never would have guessed Kiro would take her out of the special medical facility in Los Angeles, even for a day.
“Guess now that the world knows she’s alive, he feels safe taking her places,” Mase said, with a concerned look in his eyes.
“Dad says he thinks this is the last year Kiro will even record with Slacker Demon. He’s afraid Kiro is ready to leave the band. I figure it’s time for all of them. They’ve been at it for twenty-five years, after all.”
“It’s about time they retired,” Mase agreed.
“Music world won’t agree, though,” Rush said. “But if they’re all ready, then it’s time to stop. I just don’t know if my dad is there yet.”
They continued to talk, and I turned my attention to the others. I scanned the pool and a cabana set up nearby, and my eyes collided with those aviators again. He was still watching me.
Mase
We hadn’t seen Harlow since we arrived at the party, but now we knew she must be with her parents. Being around Emily was hard on her. She’d lived most of her life thinking her mother was dead. When she had discovered Emily was very much alive but unable to communicate or do anything, it had been difficult for her to handle. Had Kiro even thought about Harlow’s feelings when he chose to bring Emily here?
Frustrated, I looked for someone I could trust with Reese so I could find my sister and make sure she was OK. If our father had ruined this day for her, I was going to be pissed. For once, he needed to think of someone other than himself.